Jr. Lady Cyclones celebrate Eighth Grade Night with pair of wins

Published 12:55 am Monday, January 13, 2020

By Ivan Sanders

BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com    
It was both a time of celebration and emotions as the T.A. Dugger Lady Cyclones celebrated Eighth Grade Night as they hosted a tough conference foe in the Sevier Lady Warriors.
After a sluggish start, the Jr. Lady Cyclones pulled it together in the second half to take a 35-21 win in varsity play.
Whether it was those emotions that led to an uneasy tempo in the first half, head coach Matt Fox’s team limped to a two-point lead at the intermission, 13-11.
Michelle Shields wanted to help ensure it would be a night for her eighth-grade teammates to remember as she hit five in the half along with four points from Kayelyn Nave to help build a slight advantage.
Whatever message Fox preached at the break was received as evidenced by the play of the Jr. Lady Cyclones in the second half as the Jr. Lady Cyclones put more on the scoreboard in one period in the third than the whole first half as TAD filled the nets for 15 points while holding Sevier to nine points.
With Shields totaling seven more points in the stanza and Marlee Mathena turning into a human swat machine, TAD went into the final six minutes with a 28-20 lead.
Mathena also contributed four points in the third quarter as well to go along with numerous shot blocks and shot alterations.
The Jr. Lady Cyclones did their jobs defensively in the final period holding the visitors from Kingsport to a lone, single point while logging seven more points on their side of the scoreboard to give the final difference.
Shields finished with a game-high 17 points while Mathena had eight points to go along with countless blocks and rebounds.
Nave cashed in with six points in the contest. Abbie Crigger and Peyton McGee chipped in with two points apiece.
Junior Varsity
T.A. Dugger…..28
Sevier ………….16
Behind a hard-nosed defensive effort in the first half that allowed only four points to the Lady Warriors, the JV Jr. Lady Cyclones started the night off on a positive note taking a 12-point win over Sevier.
Andrea Flores scored eight of her game-high 10 points in the first half to set the tone for her Jr. Lady Cyclone team. Lilly McDuffie scored all four of her points in the opening half to help build the TAD advantage.
The second half was nip and tuck as both teams were answering each other bucket for bucket with TAD managing to win the second half battle 14-12 to close out the contest.
Peyton McGee and Aubrey Cole finished with five points each with each Jr. Lady Cyclone hitting a shot from behind the three-point line.
Kalli Shepard and Jamira Smalls collected the final points hitting for two points apiece.

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